The Bright Ones
by StarCaller22
Summary: Due to overcrowding the Council begins exploring beyond known Relays for the first time in a thousand years. When they encounter a young race that evolved on a world that makes Tuchanka look like paradise, their understanding of Biotics, biology, history and the galaxy itself will change forever. (Rated M for potential violence and sex)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys this is my first ever post so any feedback would be welcome! Please enjoy and let me knoe how I've done with this little project. if you liek it I'll try putting more out there!**

**Now I've written this entire thing on my phones' note pad so formatting may be a bit odd. Please let me know about any spelling or gammar issues and I'll get them fixed.**

Captain D'rona was a well respected captain and diplomat. She was also a powerful biotic and had close ties to all three members of the Citadel Council. All reasons she had been chosen for the prestigious, and potentially dangerous, position of leading the expansion efforts in this area of the galaxy. It was a position she was elated to have, she had been pushing for greater expansion for centuries. Pity it took dozens of world's being crippled by overpopulation to start.

So far things were looking good. Within only a few jumps they had already found a few habitable worlds, a few others that weren't exactly comfortable but could support smaller colonies. Now that they were pushing beyond where most colonies could reasonably be supported they were finding fewer useful worlds, that was to be expected though. The Relays were built in clusters of habitable worlds after all.

Their next stop was a system with a dozen planets in it. Beyond the fact that this was incredibly unusual, scans showed that the 5th planet not only had a thick atmosphere but that atmosphere was oxygen based. The gravity was expected to be a little higher than was preferred but the high oxygen content was promising.

She leaned against the railing watching the blue swirling cloud of Eezo, coating the ship while it traveled at 5 times the speed of light. It was a sight she had loved since she was a child. It's why she joined the navy, from pilot to XO to Captain. Even though she had served a century as a diplomat on the Citadel she had always traveled whenever she could.

"Enjoying the view Captain?"

He XO Serilius was odd for a Turian. The man was very informal, but that's probably why she liked him so much. Her time around politicians had made her hate formality almost as much as the people who insisted on it.

She tilted her head to the side slightly. "It always surprises me how beautiful it is. Outside of these walls we'd be blasted into irradiated particles spread across dozens of light years, and yet its the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."

He stared out into the void silently for a moment before releasing a sigh and turning slightly towards the door. "Well I hate to interrupt your star gazing, but we're arriving in the system in five."

She nodded taking a relaxing breath before blowing it out and turning to leave. "Once we drop from FTL I want a standard sweep done. No reason to cut it short just because we've found a potential garden world."

He nodded straightening his posture and placing his hands behind his back as they walked. "Of course Captain, if anything its reason to be more careful."

She tilted her head again in agreement. A natural garden world was rare and with an oxygen based atmosphere life was guaranteed. It went without saying that intelligent life was also a higher than average possibility. Personally she hoped to find a new race out amongst the stars. Preferably one slightly less arrogant and aggressive than the last race to meet the Citadel.

She made her way to the bridge of the Avarant, a ship designed and built by all three council races. It had Asari shields and aesthetics with Salarian cyber warfare suites and Turian cannons. It was one of 3 ships known as the Frontier Class. It's sister ships were also exploring unopened Relays, it was also planned to become the official ship of the Council Specters.

The interior of the ship followed more Asari and Salarian design patterns, swooping lines and organic curves with warm greens, blues and purples. It was a beautiful and deadly ship with a size that nearly pushed it to Cruiser classification while maintaining the speed of a frigate. A marvel of Council engineering.

She nodded to the officers on the bridge and took her seat seconds before they exited the Relay stream. The Helmsman an Asari by the name of S'lona with a soft dusting of dark blue freckles across her nose spoke over the intercom. "Relay transit confirmed, drift is 5,000."

Captain D'rona nodded with a smirk. "Excellent work S'lona, sensors begin a full sweep. I want in depth scans of the entire system."

"Yes ma'am, plotting an optimal course through the system now. Should be able to hit every major body in system within 2 days."

"Good, I want to get planetside soon if at all possible. As much as I love space travel it's always nice to see new worlds."

She looked at the current long range visual scans of the distant world and raised an eye ridge in thought. It was a beautiful planet. All green and blue, it looked to be nearly 80% water and she was sure it'd be humid. There were two moons, one rather small, only 100 km wide but the other was a different story. Nearly a quarter the size of the planet it orbited it was more of a planetoid than a moon.

She could already see the thousands of Council citizens flooding the word. Mostly Asari, Salarian and Hanar. Drell, Turians and the like didn't enjoy humidity so much. The day went by slowly after that. Reports filtered in about mineral deposits and a quick stop by one of the larger gas giants to do a quick discharge.

Finally they came to the object of her attention. The garden world tentatively named GW141, it was fairly large, and dense. Estimated to have slightly higher gravity than was galactic norm. Not enough to be an issue but certainly enough to make work difficult. Something that DID make things an issue was the upper atmosphere, storms, solar radiation and high levels of electrical interference would make communications extremely difficult if not impossible planetside.

Halfway through the deep scans they received an alert, and her sensors officer spoke up blinking rapidly. "Captain, detecting an underground artificial structure roughly 500 meters below the surface, the image is too distorted to get materials or layout. No signals detected, not that we would be able to with all the interference."

D'rona was silent for a moment, as much as she had wanted to find someone new it wasn't expected. Of course they had only explored 3.5% of the galaxy so perhaps they should expect it more often. Regardless her position as head of an expeditionary mission gave her the authority to initiate first contact if they made it so there was no reason to wait.

She shook her head and took a breath, 'time to act like a Matriarch' she thought to herself. "Alright, bring us into low orbit. I want to know everything we can about the location and the structure. If someone's still here we may have first contact on our hands so prep the FC package."

As the bridge became a flurry of action as people rushed about to carry out her orders as well as the countless duties that went without saying, Serilius came to her side. "Ma'am, I'll have the security teams prep just in case. It's a remote area and not putting out any signals. This could be some remote research facility or even a criminal base, it's the perfect location for either. Plus with the dense jungle it's just not a safe environment. We should be very careful here"

She tilted her head hesitantly, typical of the Turian to think first and foremost about security, not that she was complaining. It was their job after all. "Of course, but... let's hope for a peaceful first contact hmm?"

He nodded with a quick salute before rushing off to organize the security teams. The ship slowly entered the atmosphere a few miles away from the structure. They doubted if there was anyone home they'd appreciate an alien ship appearing on their doorstep. And since there were no signals coming from the planet they couldn't exactly initiate contact any other way than up close and personal. Just the way she liked it. The personal touch could make all the difference.

Markus lifted his axe with a sigh, his muscles were nice and sore, hands calloused and the tree he wanted to use for firewood was just about ready to fall. He had cut about halfway into the trunk with soft gentle strokes to direct its fall and was ready to knock the rest out. He gripped the ornate axe tighter, the synthetic leather squealed in protest and the wood strained as he brought it back. A blue glow raced up the Eezo enriched titanium alloy core of the handle from his hands and caused the nodes on the pommel and upper handle to glow a bright blue before coating the axe head itself. He brought it around with a grunt and struck the remaining half of the tee trunk.

There was a massive crack and splintered wood went flying before another boom signaled the tree crashing on the newly created stump. It twisted slowly as it listed to the side, he glanced in the distance and saw his son wobble slightly. His focus had been disturbed, he'd need to work on that. A low groan and squeaking sounded as the tree fell before finally crashing into the clearing. He sighed happily and chuckled seeing his boy drop to his butt. The blue glow that had been strongly surrounding him before petering out.

He went along the newly felled tree knocking away branches, they'd be good kindling later. He cut it in two for easier hauling and gripped the first half straining genetically enhanced muscles that evolved on a much higher gravity world and lifted, the log settled on his shoulder and he took a moment to adjust to its weight.

"C'mon boy, time to head home. You can meditate on the boat."

William sighed and stood strapping his bow to his back next to the quiver. Tradition and educational practice demanded he learn the bow before firearms. It built power, taught patience and conservation of ammo. It also taught children to pay attention to where rounds went, otherwise it would be a pain picking up the arrows. Valuable skills for young children. It also made their hunting skills sharper, getting close with a bow took far more skill, thus every clean kill with a bow or blade was honorable, something to be praised whereas rifle could take game from a mile away with little skill thanks to modern optics.

"When can I do something more interesting than meditation and the Verner Drills? They're so boring! Plus I can already do it pretty well."

He grunted in confirmation as he stepped on the path towards the boat. "But have you mastered them? Can you perform them without thought, perfectly every time? Because I'm pretty sure a bruised butt is a sign of someone who needs more practice." He said with a smirk hidden behind his thick beard.

Will pouted and kicked a rock. "Yeah but I know the how to do them right? So maybe I could get a head start on the Jameson Drills. Then I'd be ahead of everyone in class!"

"And your focus would be split, and your technique would suffer. Master the basics and you master your Light, master your Light and..."

"No enemy or creature can defeat you. I know, it's just so boring! There's hardly anything dangerous here other than the Bullrok and the Raptors and there are no pirates here so it's not like I'm going to use it anyway."

"I use my Light in everything I do boy, it's part of what makes you Human. And it's better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. Someday you may be forced to use your Light, and when that day comes you'll be grateful for the time spent meditating in peace."

He dropped the log into the boat before getting the other half and the kindling before climbing on followed by William. He pulled on a shirt now that the work was over covering his many tattoos representing his accomplishments and history. They were a complex and intricate series of images, words and symbols. A beautiful mix of tribal and geometric symbols, pale blue on his well tanned skin. He was as proud of them as he was his many scars. They showed who he was, a father, a widow, a brother and a warrior.

His son looked similar to him, tan and lean with bright green eyes and dark hair. Though Marcus had been shaving his head for years now, a habit carried over from his days wrestling with his squad mates. William was only 5' but he still had plenty of years to grow.

Just as he was about to start up the engine he heard a boom in the sky. They both looked up and at first they thought it was another storm, Langshum was famous for its ferocious thunder storms. But when there was no cloud in sight he pulled up a pair of binoculars that had been clipped to his waist.

He scanned the sky for a few moments before he found it, a sleek dark blue or maybe purple craft descending rapidly a few miles to the south of the small village that had been erected near the ruins. As far as he knew they weren't expecting any deliveries or new researchers and the world wasn't yet open to colonization. He also didn't recognize the ship and while there were many ships he'd never seen, something about it felt off.

He doubted anyone back at the village would notice, the brutal weather ruined most electronics and wireless signals were devoured by the chaotic ionosphere. The only stable technology was hardened landlines and the QEC that they hadn't yet set up. He put the binoculars away and started up the engine easing them down the river towards the village. It was the fastest way back and they still needed the firewood, staying close to nature was just their way. Plus cooking over an open fire always tasted better.

"When we reach the fork in the river we'll leave the boat. There's a ship landing near the village we should scout out."

William looked up a bit excited to stay out in the jungle but also confused. "Why? Who are they? I didn't see a ship."

He grunted and jerked his head in the direction it disappeared over the tree line ahead of them.

"Blue/purple paint with a design I don't recognize. Probably nothing but we aren't expecting visitors this far out. Besides there's no good reason for anyone to be on this planet besides researching the ruins and that's our job."

His eyes were wide and he looked ahead excitedly. "Wow, ok... what should I do when we get there? I can't really fight if they're dangerous."

"You're not supposed to, if there's a fight I'll handle it. You stay quiet and hidden, if I tell you then run to the village and tell them what's happening. They'll know what to do." He said as he gripped his axe. He prayed this was a peaceful visit, his boy was too young for bloodshed.

William nodded slowly suddenly realizing this was actually serious. He had grown up on stories of the Shattered Circle and the Fulcun Horde, as cool as he'd thought those stories were at the time he didn't want to see them play out in real life. He gripped his bow tightly and focused on slowing his breathing as he had been taught, unaware of the silent smile on his father's face as he watched him using the very techniques he'd just complained about.

Marcus patted the pistol on his thigh taking comfort in its weight. The massive pistol would be able to break through most barriers or armor with a single round, it was a heavy weapon fit for a warrior. He hadn't used it on another person in almost a decade, he hoped that peaceful streak would continue.

Captain D'rona huffed as she felt the heavy gravity tugging her down, between that, the bugs and the complete breakdown of wireless comms she wasn't a big fan of the planet at the moment. The humidity felt good though, keeping her skin nice and soft as it soaked up the moisture in the air keeping her cool. The Salarians likewise enjoyed the weather while the Turians seemed mostly indifferent. They preferred drier climates but they could handle a little humidity and the bugs didn't much bother them with their plating.

Serilius stepped up beside her the security and research teams right behind him led by Sergeant Kassius and Lokni Waelo. He let off a crisp salute which she returned before setting him at ease.

"Serilius, how's the mapping coming?"

He shook his head with a tightening of his mandibles, a Turian frown. "As poorly as expected, between the blasted electrical interference and the thick canopy we can barely keep the drones flying, on top of that we've confirmed the interference gets worse and as they get closer to the structure. The techs believe it's exacerbating the problem, possibly a defensive measure or simply a byproduct of whatever they're doing there. Impossible to know really. It also means no shuttles or air support."

He activated his Omni-tool and brought up a topographical map of the area. "However using laser mapping and traditional imaging we have a basic map, you'll be able to find your way to and from the ship and structure at the least. There's a river you'll have to cross here, I recommend moving further north to cross otherwise you'll have to cross it twice."

He paused with a sigh. "I don't like this, no air support, spotty comms at best, a dozen men and no idea what you're walking into, it's not a smart move."

She nodded in agreement, it really wasn't but as the Captain and Matriarch it was her duty to handle any potential first contact scenarios or the securing of any ruins that may be culturally or scientifically significant. She really didn't have much choice and she could hardly order her men into the unknowns of the jungle if she wasn't willing to go herself. They'd lose any respect they have for her. She knew she would in their position.

"No choice Serilius, it's my duty. You have command of the Avarant until I return. If we aren't back within 72 hours, operational discretion is yours but we're cut off out here, don't take unnecessary risks."

He nodded, she knew he'd make the right choice. He'd been a damn good officer and a good friend. She turned to the Sergeant and gave a smile. "Alright men, ROEs are as follows, do not fire unless fired upon first. Keep within sight of the man in front of and behind you at all times. Use the scanners for as long as possible, any animals or tech that shows up nearby I wanna know as soon as possible, understand?"

A salute and chorus of "Yes Ma'am!" Sounded off and she nodded turning and marching off into the jungle a shotgun on her back and pistol on her thigh. "Come on then let's get this show on the road!"

She wore light armor focusing more on her barriers to protect her but the Marines with her wore heavy armor though she hoped it wouldn't get much use. At the moment she was just happy the armor kept the biscuits little bugs at bay. She could only imagine how bad they'd be if they had access to her exposed skin.

A few hundred yards in she looked at her Omni-tools' scanner and discovered that there was movement and heat signatures all around them within a hundred yards. Not a surprise seeing that this was a jungle but it was bad news for security, anyone or anything sneaking up on them would be able to go practically unnoticed. Looking around her she saw that the Marines were all aiming off into the trees and keeping constant watch on their scanners.

They moved slowly, blades out cutting through the dense foliage. The jungle was a riot of color, green, red, orange, blue and pink were mixed and scattered all over. It was dark too, in this area at least the canopy was far too dense to allow sunlight through to the bottom. It looked like twilight in the middle of the day. She caught sight of something a bit bigger fart through the shadows but it didn't bother her, not many animals would attack such a large group and few could actually cause any harm.

She knew the scientists back at the ship would be having a field day here, as she walked there were flowers that snapped shut and shrunk down into the ground. Small birds that traveled in the hundreds sitting in a tree simply watching as they passed. A mushroom that spurted spores of some type into the air that registered as harmless but sparkled in the sunlight. It was beautiful.

A few hours into the trip they had finally breached into a new part of the jungle, possibly an older section, the trees thinned out and the ground was much more clear, but everything looked older, more fully grown than those plants fighting for light and nutrients in the rest of the jungle.

The canopy was still thick but it let in streams of light that was much appreciated. It seemed to be a natural clearing as there was no evidence of logging, roads or anything. The trees here were thick and towering things nearly 20 feet thick with huge branches stretching for dozens of feet in each direction. Looking at one of them she noticed two deep gouges about 8 feet up. Some animals did that to mark territory so this could be somethings home. It was also the perfect place to rest.

She turned to the Marines and crossed her arms. "Alright, this place looks decent for a rest. Set a defensive perimeter and grab some lunch. We move out in 30, so take your time with the food. We might be in something's home right now so pay attention and be ready if something wants us gone."

She sat down pulling off her helmet and took a breath, the air smelled refreshing here. Not stifling like most jungles. She smelled a sweet fruity smell and some musky scent that probably belonged to an animal that had been resting nearby. She wasn't too concerned about local wildlife. As much firepower as they had combined with her biotics they should be able to handle anything short of a Thresher Maw so she settled on an overturned tree and reached for a protein bar.

One of the men, Sgt Kassius stepped over to her and sat on the log she had claimed. "Ma'am, enjoying being ground side?"

She nodded chewing her meal slowly before responding. "I am, I'm excited. Whether we find ruins of some lost civilization or we make first contact it'll be a great find. On top of finding a pristine garden world no less. We've already more than paid for this expedition."

He nodded along ripping open a meaty meal he'd pulled from a pack on his back. "I'm sure we have, though if we do make first contact this is possibly the worst way to do it. No comms, no back up, no way of knowing what we're walking into. Plus a deadline to reach the ship that the locals may not allow for any number of reasons. Personally I'd be happy with some long dead ruins."

"That would probably be for the best but then we'd have the lab coats refusing to leave this planet until they catalogued every inch of the place along with every living thing here. We'll make do with whatever we find."

He nodded biting into a piece of jerky keeping a close watch on the shadows of the jungle. He and his men were attentive, focused on the surrounding area. They watched the shadows swaying in the underbrush and the limbs moving high in the canopy. Scanners were watching every possible approach and those rating relaxed, they were safe for now.

Marcus eased the boat against the bank and tied it off to a thick tree. He stood checking his gear, pistol, axe, knife and back up knife. He nodded to himself and motioned for William to follow him into the jungle. They were nearing Bullrok territory but they usually didn't bother anyone unless provoked, nevertheless he turned to his son.

"Keep focused boy, if you see a Bullrok you remember how we hunted the one last winter?"

William nodded. "Yeah, you fought it while I shot at it's eyes from behind you."

"That's right, keep your distance, fire when you have a clear shot and don't let it get close. If you can't get the eyes then shoot between the plates or behind the crest if you can."

They continued on in silence, carefully moving through the underbrush until they heard some low chatter, they're hearing enhancements allowing them to pick it up. Cheap and useful the hearing augmentations enhanced quiet sounds and lowered louder ones. Life saving ability when you lived on Earth, and just plain helpful everywhere else.

He held his hand up and dropped into a low crouch before motioning towards a large tree with his head. William nodded and moved silently to his father stepping in his hands before being launched up into the air to grab hold of the limbs. He climbed higher and looked ahead finding the sturdy limbs before he once again followed his father keeping watch from above. Few dangerous animals could reach the canopy on this world so this is how he usually helped when hunting.

Marcus edged near the clearing and cursed to himself. Then he did it again. Not only were the visitors having a meal right in the middle of a Bullrok nest, they weren't even Human! First contact on a back water world with no comms and in one of the most dangerous areas on the planet. Figures.

He huffed and ran through possibilities, William was probably silently freaking out but he would stay in control. He was a smart kid. He glanced up and just barely made him out in the tree high above about 30 feet up. His brown vest and pants hiding him from the world. Turning back to the ALIENS in the clearing, he ran his fingers through his beard. He had to get them to move. If they were here when the Bullrok got back there wouldn't be much of a first contact.

He set off a pulse of Light, weak but easily noticed by Humans. William glanced down and Marcus signaled him to wait and be ready, he waited for an acknowledgement before taking a breath and standing. He stepped out into the clearing making it obvious he knew they were there. He lifted his hands slowly keeping his muscles relaxed and his Light contained to a simple barrier. Though with the number of rifles pointing at him, if they wanted him dead he doubted his barriers would serve him very well. He'd have to rely on William for that.

There were at least three types of aliens here. Short blue female that looks remarkably Human, tall orange/yellow amphibian that looks like a skinny frog and tall spiky raptor looking things. The raptors seemed to be the soldiers of the group, they had all the heavy weapons and were pulling security before he stepped out. The frogs seemed to be talking excitedly and taking samples of everything so probably scientists, though a few were very calm and had pulled weapons remarkably quickly, maybe not all scientists then. The blue one though, he had no idea, leader? Support? He couldn't be sure but he'd bet leader by how the one next to her stepped in front of her.

He walked forward calm and steady hands out to his sides palms facing the aliens. The axe and pistol were plainly visible he was sure but he doubted they saw him as much of a threat. He was a big guy and armed but then so were they. They were also woefully ignorant of the immense danger they were in.

Focusing on his breathing he kept his heart rate low, couldn't afford to show fear here. He pointed to the territorial gashes the Bullrok had carved into the tree they decided to picnic by and then pointed in the direction of the village. They clearly knew where it was so trying to misdirect them would be useless plus they could try and talk with the folks in charge there, he didn't really care so long as they got away from here.

The aliens were talking to one another and the blue one gave some order that had everyone reluctantly lowering their weapons. He breathed a sigh of relief and motioned for them to follow him as he slowly stepped back towards the tree line. Hopefully William would stay hidden until they got back home or at least reached the boat.

The aliens were talking amongst themselves again and he heard a distant thumping, too long. They were taking too damn long. He got more insistent waving them along while watching the tree line. They needed to move, now.

He spoke for the first time since showing himself. "Come on! Follow!"

They looked surprised, maybe they didn't think he could speak or maybe his volume had surprised them. It was getting closer and he needed to move them along. He stepped forward again getting much closer and looking far less patient than before. He pointed at the blue one then at his chest. "Follow me. Now." And he turned to walk away. If she didn't figure it out so be it, he wasn't about to put his boy at risk over some aliens if they couldn't realize they shouldn't be here.

But that's when he ran out of time, the raptors looked first, seemingly finally hearing the thumping, then the blue one, the frogs never seemed to notice before a tree cracked and a roar ripped through the air as the fully grown female Bullrok tore into the clearing from the tree line. Of course it was a female. Why wouldn't it be?

He pulled the axe from his back and cursed. "Boy! Remember the plan!" He called without looking back. He got no reply and had expected none.

It stomped the ground and roared before grabbing a huge stone and tossing the 400 lbs rock like it was nothing. Thankfully the stone wasn't very accurate and sailed over their heads before shattering against a tree.

It lowered its head and charged tearing up the ground as it did. He didn't know what the aliens were firing but their weapons didn't do much against the thick armored plating of the 15 foot tall monster. Of course they were trying to get through thick plating over hide padding over more bone and muscle so few weapons would do anything at all.

It crashed into a frog that hadn't been fast enough and sent them flipping through the air and landing with a crunch, it didn't get up and the Bullrok brought its fist down turning it to pulp. An explosion went off against its side and knocked it a step away but as it turned its side armor was only slightly scorched he doubted they had the type of armor piercing weapons required to punch through. He needed to do something.

He felt the adrenaline fill is system and let his Light grow filling his axe as he sprinted forward. He lowered his mass and ran faster and faster, he barely noticed the blue glowing arrow fly past his head and embed itself between the plates of the Bullrok before exploding. The beast turned, recognized the new threat and roared.

Marcus roared back before leaping into the air he flew right at the creature and brought his axe down on its nose, but right before connecting it turned it head taking the blow on its thick horn. The horn cracked and the beast reared back shaking its head before turning and swiping at him with a thick spiked tail.

He rolled under and closer before swiping at the unprotected ankle the blade cut deep but not deep enough to sever tendons buried under the muscle and hide. He ripped the axe out just in time to be kicked and sent rolling back. He dug his axe into the earth and halted himself mid roll. The Bullrok turned and roared again before charging, he waited letting her build up speed before he he turned and ran at the nearby tree. He ran up it and jumped before she hit cracking it and bending her damaged horn at a painful angle. He came down on her head and brought the axe down on the edge of her crest splitting it and causing her to rear back in pain.

At the same time he realized he'd made a mistake, the tee he'd run to was apparently the tree his son had just moved to. The boy landed on the back of the Bullrok with a roll and jumped off firing an arrow into the creatures neck from behind its crest, the most sensitive part. It had the desired effect, the explosion brought the beast to its belly but it wasn't done yet.

As they landed and tried to gain some distance the Bullrok roared and whipped its tail out catching William in the chest and he was sent flying into a nearby tree.

"William!" He screamed, his son wasn't moving and for a moment he was terrified, then his instincts and training kicked in. His instincts brought out the rage that only a parent who's seen their child harmed could know, his training directed it at the threat. Remove the enemy, then handle the boy.

His eyes were wide and his lips drawn back in a snarl as he roared his rage at the beast that would dare to harm his child. He held his arms out and his Light flared to life bright, hot and powerful enough to lift pebbles, sticks and bits of plant from the ground with the chaotic dark energies.

His axe looked to be alight with blue flame and he reared back before launching it at the Bullrok. It buried its entire blade in its lower jaw letting off a blast of biotic energy on contact and the creature roared in pain as the left side of its jaw was blasted off with the axe buried in its in the skull beneath. It turned as if to run but he wasn't done.

He sprinted at it so fast that most would only see a blue blur and shredded ground as he reached the injured animal and struck hard on its snout. Again and again he hammered away pouring all the rage and hate a Human can carry into its thick armored shell cracking bits off exposing the softer hide beneath.

It tried to swipe at him but he jumped several feet into the air and then slammed down snapping off the damaged horn from before. It bellowed in pain and he gripped the horn before kicking the Bullrok in the face driving it to the ground and back. He ran at it launching off its nose and rising high into the air. He landed with enough speed and mass to shake the ground and drive the horn deep into the creatures skull through the damaged shell.

He rose his fists and brought them down pushing it completely into the beast, it jerked and breathed its final breath as he stood panting and sweating with steam rising off him. He looked over at his boy and in the blink of an eye crossed the distance between them still covered in Bullrok blood with blue whisps of energy pouring off him.

He checked for breath and a pulse and when he felt both he breathed a sigh of relief. He tapped his arm mounted ComPad and did a quick scan. He nearly cried tears of joy when he saw nothing broken or any internal bleeding. He lifted William and hugged him close accidentally shaking the boy awake as he did.

William felt waves of Light pouring from his father, it was comforting. Warm and energetic, slow and powerful. He took strength from it. For Humans it wasn't a replacement for food but pure Light could sustain them if they had a solid source.

Marcus took deep steady breaths, he wouldn't cry. Not here. But he held his son close, forehead to forehead before looking up and holding him to his chest. His thumb traced the scar over his sons right eye, a constant reminder for both of them what carelessness in a fight could bring.

He looked up with a sigh and regretted it as he saw the numerous faces looking at him weapons at the ready. Right, the aliens. He shook his head and kept his voice low.

"Are you ok boy? Can you walk?"

William nodded and looked around with wide eyes before being carefully lifted by his father. He winced and had to clench his teeth to keep quiet, his chest hurt a lot. Marcus noticed.

"Don't worry, it's just bruised. You did good son, that was an impressive shot. I doubt I could've made that, I'm proud of you." He put a hand on his shoulder looking down with a slight grin only just now noticing how weak he felt after using up so much energy.

"Now, don't show any weakness, we don't know how they'll see it. Keep quiet and stay close."

William nodded and stood tall with his back straight as he checked his gear. Some arrows had broken but they could make more. His hands shook slightly, he clenched them and focused on the energy of his father, deep steady breaths. Marcus looked to the aliens and pointed at them one final time then to his chest and said calmly and quietly. "Follow."

With that he turned back to the Bullrok held out his hand and flexed his Light ripping the axe from its spot inside the skull of the beast with a crack before it flew back into his hand. He sheathed it on his back and turned to the woods followed closely by his son and a silently stunned group of aliens


	2. Chapter 2

Well hooooly shiiit... that's all I can really say about the response so far. Damn guys I actually feel like I almost have talent lol. You guys are really awesome I love it. Ok so let me answer some of your questions and clear some things up because honestly this was an experiment and I'm making this up as I go. That said any ideas and advice is greatly appreciated and you'll be mentioned as the inspiration for anything I use.

First of all the Humans and various other creatures of Earth have powerful biotic potential and use it in some strange and interesting ways due to reasons that will come about later on. There is no magic and therefore technically no gods as seen in the games. Because let's be honest the entire galaxy and the Reapers would be stomped and I don't really like Human Smash type stories. However some Humans from very early on were... unique in their abilities and genetics so they were the "gods" and may potentially still be around to deal with certain Earth issues. Though if they are they'll be fairly rare and will not be capable of shattering mountains by simply pushing like in the game lol.

Second, Kratos and Atreus... boy. I was using Marcus and William as kind of a version of the two however now I'm thinking something else. Remember how the axe was a family heirloom? Well yeah you can probably guess where that's going, but more will be revealed later.

Third, this is also a Legendary Monsterverse crossover, so basically all of Earth is like Skull Island mixed a bit with the monsters from God of War.

Fourth, as there is no magic technology and unique biotics will be used to explain most things such as the Bifrost, Gods and monsters. You can probably guess who had a hand in creating such advanced technologies in the ancient past. Those same folks meddled with Humanity which resulted in the Gods and some of the monsters. I believe ME based technology is capable of things few stories ever imagine and perhaps I'll even add a few other cross overs in the future or make them entirely different stories.

Bullrok: So a lot of people wanna know what this behemoth is and honestly it's just something I came up with. Imagine a 15 foot tall, red, armor plated gorilla with thick tusks like a Troll from GoW and a Stegosaurus tail. The females are bigger, meaner and more territorial. They are the apex predator of their planet, on Earth they'd be about average probably.

POV Change: So originally when I wrote this it had a line of ++++++ between chapters. Why it didn't translate over I have no idea. I apologize for that but when I copy pasted the story I didn't recheck. Won't happen again and it will be fixed in the first chapter.

Finally for the first arc the MC has already been created, a descendant of Kratos following their family and cultural traditions including the tattoos (though the original reasoning for them has been lost), combat styles and the battle with rage his family must deal with. However we will transition to another MC in the next story arc and if you want to input ideas I'll be happy to listen!


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